Amendment to the common Internship Regulations of 12.12.

2013 for the degree

programmes Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Engineering, Electrical Engineering
and Information Technology, Mechatronics, Mechatronics and Robotics, Production
and Logistics, Optical Technologies, Nanotechnology, Power Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering, Industrial Engineering with the degrees Bachelor of Science and Master
of Science at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science, the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the
Faculty of Economic Sciences of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover have
issued the following joint Internship Regulations pursuant to Section §44 Abs.1 of the Lower
Saxony Higher Education Act.

Please note that this document is a translation of the German regulations. It is provided for the
assistance of international students only and has no legal standing. The German version entitled

„Gemeinsamen Praktikumsordnung vom XX.XX.XXXX für die Studiengänge Maschinenbau,

Nachhaltige Ingenieurwissenschaft, Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik, Mechatronik,
Mechatronik und Robotik, Produktion und Logistik, Optische Technologien, Nanotechnologie,
Energietechnik, Biomedizintechnik, Wirtschaftsingenieur mit den Abschlüssen Bachelor of
Science und Master of Science an der Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover“

is legally binding in every case.

Contents

§1 Scope 3

§2 Role of the Internship Office 3

§3 Purpose of the internship 3

§4 Structure of the internship 3

§ 4.1 Scope 3

§ 4.2 Pre-study Internship 4

§ 4.2.1 Objectives and characteristics 4

§ 4.2.2 Structure of the Pre-study Internship 4

§ 4.2.3 Acceptance, evidence and timing of the Pre-study Internship 4

§ 4.3 Advanced Internship 5

§ 4.3.1 Objectives and characteristics 5

§ 4.3.2 Structure of the Advanced Internship 5

 § 4.3.3 Acceptance, evidence and timing of the Advanced Internship 5

§5 Companies for the internship 6

§6 Substitute times and exceptional rules 6

§ 6.1 Vocational training 6

§ 6.2 Professional activity and employment as an engineer 6

§ 6.3 Employment before and during studies 6

§ 6.4 Internships in the same degree at German universities 7

§ 6.5 Specialised practical training in school education 7

§ 6.6 Technical training and service in the German armed forces 7

§ 6.7 Technical training during civilian national service or voluntary year 7

§ 6.8 Specialised technical training courses 7

§ 6.9 Exceptional arrangements 8

§7 Reporting on internship activities 8

§8 Certificates on internship periods 8

§9 Internship in a foreign country 9

§10 Acceptance procedure 9

§11 Transitional regulations 9

Table A1: Experience and areas of activity in the Pre-study Internship 10

§1 Scope
1
The internship regulations governs the procedure for the implementation and recognition of practical
work experience on the basis of the examination and admission regulations of the degree programmes
mentioned. 2The entirety of practical professional activities is hereinafter referred to as "the internship".

§2 Tasks of the Internship Office

(1) The recognition of the internship for the degree programmes Mechanical Engineering,
Sustainable Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Mechatronics,
Mechatronics and Robotics, Production and Logistics, Optical Technologies, Nanotechnology,
Power Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Industrial Engineering is carried out by the
joint Internship Office of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science according to the procedure laid down in these internship
regulations.
(2) 1In addition, the Internship Office provides advise regarding the planning and implementation
of the internship. 2In order to avoid later difficulties in the acceptance of the internship, prior
consultation with the Internship Office is recommended in all cases of doubt.

2
§3 Purpose of the internship
(1) In the internship, the students gain further knowledge and experience that are important for
the first orientation on entering the profession and for later careers and can only be gained in
a typical business environment of relevant professionals.
(2) 1An essential aspect of the internship also lies in sociological aspects of business operations.
2
The students shall understand the enterprise in which they work as a social structure and get
to know the relationship between managers and employees.
(3) As preparation for their studies, new students shall acquire initial practical experience in
industrial production in the Pre-study Internship before they start their studies.
(4) The Pre-study Internship should be an orientation for decisions in the planning of studies,
especially when completed early in the course as several short placements in varied fields of
work.
(5) The Advanced internship shall complement the degree programme by enabling acquired
knowledge to be deepened in its practical relevance and to already be productively applied to
a certain extent.
(6) The internship serves as a deepening of acquired study knowledge, as a transition to a
profession and as an aid to decisions in the context of entering a profession, primarily if the
entire internship or a large part of it is carried out at a late point in studies.
(7) Due to design in the implementation of the internship, different focus areas in target setting of
the internship can be emphasised.

§4 Structure of the internship

§ 4.1 Scope

(1) 1The internship shall be divided into the Pre-study Internship and the Advanced Internship with
regard to its subject orientation. 2In order to accept a Pre-study Internship or an Advanced
Internship for credit, internship activities must fulfil the conditions specified in §4.2 and §4.3.
3
Within the framework of these conditions, the division and chronological sequence of the
internship activities may be freely arranged. 4Within the respective chosen fields of activity, the
students shall become acquainted with several of the individual fields according to the
conditions of the company.
(2) 1In case of full-time employment, one internship week shall correspond to the regular weekly
working hours of the respective company. 2In case of part-time employment, a cumulative 40
hours (60 minutes) shall be counted as one internship week. 3The same shall apply to
substitute periods under §6.
(3) 1Legal holidays do not have to be worked in addition. 2Days missed due to illness, holidays,
bridge days, examination days or personal reasons must be caught up later. 3If necessary, an
extension of the internship contract should be requested in order to complete a sequence of
the internship that has begun.
(4) 1Students who complete an internship are not required to attend vocational school. 2Voluntary
participation in company training should not significantly restrict the time spent at the
workplace.
(5) 1The number of weeks prescribed in each case shall be regarded as a minimum. 2It is
recommended that students voluntarily acquire further industrial experience.

§ 4.2 Pre-study internship

§ 4.2.1 Objectives and characteristics

(1) 1The Pre-study Internship enables students to acquire initial practical experience in industrial
and commercial production. 2Pure office activities are excluded from this. 3Integrated into a
working environment of trainees, skilled workers and technical staff with a predominantly
executive character of activity, the aim is to become acquainted with various basic production
processes and production equipment as well as operational processes.

3
 (2) 1The Pre-study Internship shall be carried out according to a pre-planned training program
under expert guidance. 2Productive work of students in the internship shall only take place for
the purpose of getting to know selected activities and shall be limited to an appropriate scope
in each case. 3On the other hand, students should not only work in a purely educational
environment, but also get to know operational processes in a productive environment.
(3) 1The Pre-study Internship does not require any prior knowledge from the university course and
should therefore be completed before the start of the studies.

§ 4.2.2 Structure of the Pre-study Internship

The Pre-study Internship is divided into subject-specific experience and activity areas, each of which
relates to the specific background of the degree programme (see Table A1).

§ 4.2.3 Acceptance, evidence and timing of the Pre-study Internship

(1) For full acceptance, the Pre-study Internship must fulfil the conditions listed in Table A1.
(2) In the case of mixed activities within a working week, these shall be allocated to a single field
of activity according to the predominant work in each case.
(3) The Certificate of the Pre-study Internship must be submitted to the Examination Office within
a period of time which is regulated in the Examination Regulations or Admission Regulations
of the respective degree programme.
(4) 1Since the Pre-study Internship has to be completed before the start of the degree
programme, no credit points (LP) are credited in the degree programme itself. There are no
special periods of time which are provided within the standard period of study to caught up the
Pre-study Internship when its not completed before the start of the university course. 2If
necessary, the students concerned must plan the completion of the Pre-study Internship
individually in their course of study.
(5) The recognition procedure is governed by § 10 of these Internship Regulations.

§ 4.3 Advanced Internship

§ 4.3.1 Objectives and Characteristics

(1) 1The Advanced Internship serves to acquire experience in typical fields of work and areas of
activity of the respective degree programme in professional practice. 2It is characterised by
integration of the students into working environments of engineers or persons with
corresponding qualifications with predominantly developing, planning or directing activities.
(2) 1The students shall be integrated into the typical "day-to-day work" of their working
environment and in an actively contributing manner during the Advanced Internship. 2This
should enable them to get to know and observe typical tasks and working methods of
professional engineers in their respective fields.
(3) In this respect, the character of the Advanced Internship differs from the completion of a final
project and thesis in a company. A final project and thesis explicitly consist of work on a
special, self-contained theme, whereas the Advanced Internship does not.

§ 4.3.2 Structure of the Advanced Internship

(1) 1These internship regulations do not prescribe any specific areas of activity for the Advanced
Internship. 2In principle, the suitability of a proposed Advanced Internship depends upon
meeting the objectives described in §4.3.1 above and the suitability of the respective company
according to §5.
(2) 1Within this framework, students should plan their Advanced Internship to suit their own
specialist interests and professional goals. 2In in case of doubt over the acceptability of a
planned internship, especially in a special or unusual field of work, the prior consultation with
4
 the Internship Office is recommended. 3In any case, the Advanced Internship must cover a
certain breadth and variety of typical engineering activities. 4For this evidence, at least one of
the following characteristics must be fulfilled:

(3) Different companies:

1
The completion of the Advanced Internship takes place in separate sections in at least two
separate and organisationally independent companies. 2In this case, employment in a similar
range of activities and tasks in the different enterprises is permissible.

(4) Different departments in the same enterprise:

The completion of the Advanced Internship takes place in one and the same enterprise, but
in at least two clearly separated sections withan integration of the students in different
organisational units, which deal with significantly different ranges of activities and tasks.

(5) Interdisciplinary internship activity, across departments in the same company:

1
The completion of the Advanced Internship takes place in one and the same company and in
organisational integration in one and the same organisational unit, but the students are
involved in interdepartmental different tasks during their activity. 2This has to be described in
detail in the report.

§ 4.3.3 Acceptance, evidence and timing of the Advanced Internship

(1) 1For full recognition, the Advanced Internship must fulfil the general characteristics for the
objective and implementation according to § 4.3.1 as well as at least one of the structural
characteristics according to § 4.3.2. 2The fulfilment of these requirements must (in particular
for the recognition of an interdisciplinary Internship activity) be proven by corresponding
statements of the relevant Internship Certificate and made clear in the associated internship
report.
(2) The proof of the recognition of the internship must be submitted to the Academic Examination
Office within a period of time which is regulated in the Examination Regulations or Admission
Regulations of the respective degree programme.
(3) For the procedure of acceptance of the completed internship, see §10 of these Internship
Regulations.

§ 5 Companies for the internship

(1) 1The internship is an essential part of the academic education. 2Companies offering
internships shall be aware of this objective and be able to provide appropriate support for the
students.
(2) 1The knowledge and experience to be gained in the Pre-study Internship and in the Advanced
Internship can be acquired primarily in medium-sized or large industrial companies in the
mechanical engineering, automotive engineering and electrical engineering sectors, but also
in other companies that operate extensive technical facilities. 2Not suitable and therefore not
admitted are craft enterprises in the maintenance and service sector as well as institutes of
colleges and universities. 3Production craft enterprises may be suitable for the Pre-study
Internship.
(3) 1In the Pre-study Internship, the enterprise must be recognized as a training enterprise by the
Chamber of Industry and Commerce or the Chamber of Crafts beyond its suitability in
principle. 2The internship activity must be supervised by a person entrusted with training
management.
(4) Engineering offices and research institutions (independent of universities) may also be
suitable for parts of the Advanced Internship.
(5) In the Advanced Internship, the supervision of activites must be carried out by professionals in
the field of the respective internship activity.
(6) 1The Internship Office does not arrange internships. 2Students are responsible for finding their
own internship opportunities and submitting their own applications.
(7) 1The students themselves are responsible for complying with the provisions of these
regulations with regard to company suitability and the implementation of their internship. 2For
this purpose, a precise clarification of the planned internship procedure with the company is
5
 required in advance. 3Students may falsely assume that the promise of an internship by a
company automatically ensures that the internship will be carried out in accordance with the
requirements set forth herein.
(8) In order to avoid later difficulties with recognition, prior consultation should be held with the
Internship Office in cases of doubt.

§ 6 Substitute periods and exceptional rules

§ 6.1 Vocational training
1
Completed vocational training (apprenticeships) shall be credited up to 100% towards the Pre-study
and Advanced Internship, provided that they sufficiently meet the requirements of these regulations.
2
Required are corresponding certificates as well as, if applicable, the completed training plan.

§ 6.2 Professional activity in employment as an engineer

1
Relevant practical professional activities in employment as an engineer shall be credited with up to
50% of their actual duration. 2Required are corresponding employer's references or certificates of
employment as well as the certification of the university degree.

§ 6.3 Employment before and during studies

1
Short-term, primarily gainful employment before and during studies, for which the company does not
explicitly certified it as a completion of an internship, but which is nevertheless suitable within the
meaning of these regulations, may be credited as substitute periods. 2Up to 20% of the total internship
time may be replaced by gainful employment. 3Certificates of employment and reports prepared in
accordance with these regulations are required.

§ 6.4 Internships in the same degree at German universities

1
Internships in technical courses of study which have already been recognized at German universities
shall be credited if they meet the requirements of these regulations.2Required are corresponding
certifications of acceptance for credit by the university and, if applicable, reports and company
certificates.

§ 6.5 Specialised practical training in school education

(1) 1Practical training periods in a school setting at vocational schools specialising in technology,
at technical colleges, other corresponding training centres, as well as in-company training
periods at a technical college may be credited as substitute periods. 2Up to 50% of the Pre-
study Internship may be replaced by practical activities in school-based training, if they cover
the areas of activity required here. 3Required are corresponding school certificates or training
plans of the schools.
(2) Industrial internships completed while studying at an ordinary school will not be accepted for
credit.

§ 6.6 Technical training and service in the German armed forces

6
 (1) 1Periods of training and service in maintenance units which correspond at least to the level of
"Material Maintenance Level II" may be credited as substitute periods. 2Up to 50% of the Pre-
study Internship may be replaced by this, provided that they cover the areas of activity
required here.
(2) Corresponding "General Activity Reports" (“Allgemeine Tätigkeitsnachweise”, also known as
“ATN-Bescheinigungen”) or alternatively the military unit’s own certificates will be required,
together with a report written according to these Internship Regulations.
(3) The issues of corresponding certificates and the preparation of reports shall be in accordance
with Decree of the Federal Ministry of Defence (Bundesministerium für Verteidigung).

§ 6.7 Technical training during civilian national service or voluntary year

1
Technical training in the Volunteer Service or in a voluntary year may be credited as substitute
periods. 2Up to 50% of the Pre-study Internship may be replaced by these activities, provided they are
carried out in accordance with these regulations. 3Required for recognition is a certificate from the
provider on the training carried out as well as reports kept in accordance with these regulations, but
without the signature of the training institution.

§ 6.8 Specialised technical training courses

(1) 1Successful participation in technical education and training courses may be credited as
substitute periods. 2Up to 50% of the Pre-study Internship may be substituted by these
qualified technical courses, as far as they correspond to the fields of activity required herein.
(2) 1The specialised courses serve to acquire initial practical experience in industrial and
commercial production. 2Pure office activities are excluded from this. 3If acceptance of such
courses is wanted, prior communication with the Internship Office is recommended. 4For
recognition, a certificate from the institution confirming the successful participation and reports
kept in accordance with these regulations without the institution's signature are required.

§ 6.9 Exemptional arrangements

Students with disabilities or severely restricted by illness may make special arrangements with the
Internship Office if it is not possible for them to complete the internship as planned.

§ 7 Reporting on internship activities

(1) Reports shall be kept on the entire duration of the internship activities and submitted to the
Internship Office when seeking acceptance for credit.
(2) 1The reports shall serve as practice in the presentation of technical facts and must be written
independently. 2They may describe work processes, equipment, tools or similar and contain
notes on experience gained in the activities carried out. The report should not contain any
information that is subject to confidentiality regulations.3Secrecy declarations or blocking notes
shall not be signed. 4Students shall adapt the reports to the contents of the enterprise.
(3) 1The reports must reflect own activities, observations and findings. 2General representations
without direct reference to one's own activities, such as transcripts from technical knowledge
books, other Internship Reports, presentations or program source codes, shall not be
recognised. 3In the sense of a technical report, a concise and succinct presentation is to be
aimed for. Representations in the form of own sketches, workshop drawings or diagrams can
be used. The use of external material, brochures or similar should be avoided.

7
 (4) 1During the Pre-study Internship, a weekly activity overview divided into days and a work
report on activities carried out with a length of one to two DIN A4 pages must be written.
2
Preprinted report books for industrial training or similar presentations are suitable for this
purpose.
(5) 1In the Advanced Internship is no daily report needed, but summary reports on entire
internship sections or selected partial tasks with an overall scope corresponding to the number
of weeks. 2If the company allows, reports may also be used which have already been
prepared for the company within the framework of the internship activity. 3An overall report
covering several weeks shall be preceded by an overview of the technical and temporal
structure of the internship section and a brief description of the enterprise or the field of
activity. 4An overall report, including pictures, must have a length of one to two DIN A4 pages
per week.
(6) 1With the exceptions mentioned in §6, all reports must be signed off with name, date and
stamp by the person in charge of supervision in the enterprise . 2The reports must be stapled
together for submission.

§ 8 Certificates of internship periods

(1) In addition to the reports, the original certificate from the company on the completion of the
internship period must be submitted for inspection in order to apply for the acceptance of
internship periods. Also a copy must be handed in.
(2) The certificate must contain the following information:
(a) company, department, place, branch of industry
(b) surname, first name, date and place of birth of the student
(c) the beginning and end of the internship
(d) Breakdown of activities by field or type of activity and duration
(e) Explicit statement of the number of days absent, even if none were missed
(3) The wording of the certificate must clearly indicate that it refers to an internship activity, as by
the heading "Internship Certificate" and/or the statement that the student worked as a
"trainee".
(4) The certificate should also provide an assessment of the student’s work and written reports.

§ 9 Internship in a foreign country

(1) 1The completition of internship activities partly or entirely abroad is permissible and is
expressly recommended. 2However, such activities must comply with these regulations in all
respects.
(2) 1In the case of an internship abroad, the certificate and the report may also be written in
English. 2If the certificate is not written in German or English, a certified translation must be
provided.

§ 10 Acceptance procedure

(1) To apply for acceptance, the internship acceptance formular and the certificates listed in §6
must be submitted.
(2) 1The Internship Office will verify compliance with the requirements of these regulations. 2After
the examination, the Internship Office accepts the internship period for credit or invite
consultation in cases of doubt.

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§ 11 Transitional regulations

(1) This amendment to the Internship Regulations of 12.12.2013 shall enter into force after
approval by the Presidential Board and after its publication in the announcement gazette of
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover on XX.XX.XX.
(2) Students who have enrolled in the above-mentioned degree programmes at Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz Universität Hannover shall be subject to the regulations of these Internship
Regulations from the time they come into force.
(3) Internship periods and areas of activity that were recognized before these Internship
Regulations came into force will still be accepted.

A1: Experience and areas of activity in the Pre-study Internship

At least two different areas of choice

VP 1
Manual activites in industrial
metal and plastic processing
Machining processes
Examples: Sawing, filling, driliing, threading, turning,
planing, milling, grinding
Forming manufacturing processes
Examples: cold forming, bending, straightening,
pressing, rolling, drawing, cutting, punching, riveting,
forging
Primary forming manufacturing processes
Examples: casting, sintering casting, sintering, plastic
injection
Joining and separating processes
Examples: soldering, welding, bonding, flame cutting

Examples: Production of components, assemblies,

VP 2
Manual electrotechnical
and electronic activities
devices and systems in electrical engineering and
electronics; assembly, semiconductor production,
maintenance and repair of electrotechnical and
electronic apparatus, devices, plants and systems,
control cabinet construction and electrical installation.

9
 VP 3
Industrial manufacturing
Examples: CNC machines, forming presses, lasers
with machines and
product equipment

Examples: construction, commissioning, maintenance,

VP 4
Plant operation servicing and repair of machinery and equipment in
industrial or medical enviroments

VP 5 Examples: logistics (incoming and outgoing goods

Participation in operational
processes in the production
enviroment
inspection, stock monitoring),
assembly, robotics, peripherals (component cleaning/
greasing/ deburring), measurement technology
(industrial or medical)

10